


To Think He Hung the Moon

by Dancains



Category: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Genre: Introspection, M/M, Nick-centric, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 12:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10944675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancains/pseuds/Dancains
Summary: Nick figured that he should be happy that Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav got on so well with his friend. It was better in the big picture, and especially now that Stu was a sort of liaison between them and the local clan of werewolves, who were an increasing presence in all of their lives. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel just a tad jealous.





	To Think He Hung the Moon

_Beep, beep, beep._

The shrill chimes of his mobile phone alarm woke Nick from a dreamless sleep. He swiped it off, and blinked his eyes, quickly adjusting to the darkness. It took him a second to remember he was in the spare room that the guys were letting him stay in--for an "indefinite" amount of time.

He still hadn't gotten used to the idea of sleeping in a coffin like Viago, it seemed a bit too confining, even if he didn't really need to breath. The idea of sleeping upside-down in a closet wasn't too appealing either, so a regular bed in a windowless room was going to have to do it for now ( _vampire aesthetic be damned_ , thought Nick). He almost turned over to doze for a bit more, before he remembered that it was Thursday.

A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, before he finally pushed himself out of bed. Thursday had always been when he and Stu played Tennis down at the park, and since it turned out Stu hadn't really been ripped to shreds by werewolves, they had slipped back into their old routine. 

Nick figured that he should be happy that Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav got on so well with his friend. It was better in the big picture, and especially now that Stu was a sort of liaison between them and the local clan of werewolves, who were an increasing presence in all of their lives. 

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel just a tad jealous. Though he would never admit it to anyone, of course. Not only because the guys almost seemed to like Stu better than him, but because they had all been spending a lot of time together in the last few months. Not that there was anything wrong with that, or anything wrong with Stu having other friends than him, of course, but Stu was his best mate--still is--and it seemed like they rarely hung out, or at least without the guys. And now he was seemingly even busier with all the werewolf stuff.

He pulled on some tracksuit pants and a tee shirt, finding his knapsack and tennis racket among the pile of stuff that littered his floor. He didn't own that much really, but he hadn't had a chance to properly sort through all his things once they had brought them over from the tiny, cheap flat that he'd been staying in since the guys kicked him out. 

It had been sort of miserable living there, especially after the night of the Unholy Masquerade. The only good memory he had there was the night there was an unexpected knock at his door, and there was Stu, scarred and changed but still very much alive. 

Nick nearly thought he was going to faint when he first opened the door. He wasn't usually the type of guy who hugged his mates, but he wrapped his arms tightly around Stu and didn't let go for a whole couple of minutes. There were no words for how relieved he felt. He remembers Stu's hands, awkwardly sitting at his sides before coming up to rub reassuringly at Nick's back. They hadn't really talked about that afterwords. 

He jogged towards the stairs, pausing in one of the doorways where he saw Viago and Vladislav in the small kitchenette. Deacon and Katherine were probably in the sitting room, working on one of their latest knitting projects. Somehow those two got along like a house on fire.

"Hey, guys. Good morning, or good night..or whatever. I'm just gonna go down to the park to play a bit of tennis."

Viago was at the sink, doing the dishes. The chore wheel was now turing much more regularly and the whole place looked a bit cleaner than when he had first time he had been over. He supposed it was because they had guests over a bit more now. Guests that weren't killed, at least.

"Oh, fun! Are you playing with Stu?" Viago asked politely, "tell him I said 'hi'."

"Yeah, sure," said Nick, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Viago would probably see Stu that weekend, in just a day or two.

Vladislav was at the table, playing around with one of the mobile phones they had recently bought. He didn't look up at Nick when he spoke.

"Make sure to beat him in tennis. We must maintain vampire superiority in sports over the werewolves. It is very important for our reputations."

Nick scoffed, "None of you guys even play."

Vladislav looked pointedly at him. "Still."

"Sure, I'll try my best." This time he did roll his eyes. "See you guys before sunrise."

It wasn't a long walk to the park, and it felt nice to stretch his legs. The night air was cool and pleasant, and all of his senses felt finely tuned. He didn't just go out and walk around as much as he used to. Flying there would have been great but the area was much too populated, too much of a risk. Maybe later in the evening, or the next night he would go somewhere much more remote and fly around a bit. Even thinking about it made him feel weightless and light on his feet. He got to the park a while before he had planned to meet Stu, so he took a brisk jog around the perimeter to warm up. 

It had taken him a while to get used to how empty many public places were at night, like the local park which was usually bustling with life in the daylight hours, but now he found the quiet and solitude rather calming. He made his way back towards the tennis courts. The moon shone brightly up above and he stopped to study it. 

He had been reading up on the moon phases and other werewolf things ever since he found out Stu had been bitten. He even downloaded an app on his mobile that says which phase the moon was in and all of that sort of information. It was pretty cool actually, and Nick wasn't usually into that sort of geeky science type stuff. Now he knew just from looking up at the sky it was at 'waxing gibbous" and that the full moon would soon be approaching. In a way, it was a bit like keeping track of what time of the month your girlfriend got her period. Nick laughed a bit under his breath at the thought.

"Hey, what're you smiling about?"

Even with his very sensitive hearing he hadn't noticed Stu approaching. He turned to his friend, who was silhouetted by the fluorescent court lights, and the grin on his face grew even wider.

"Nothing...it's just real nice out," he shifted on his feet. "Did you want to serve first or should I?"

\+ + +

"Shit, mate, I really thought I'd beat you this time," huffed Nick, plopping down on to the bench next to Stu. They had played for best out of five, and Stu had won the last set just barely. It seemed the tables had turned once again. Stu smiled shyly, he didn't like to boast. 

"I'm just glad to get a bit of exercise, after sitting all day, you know?" said Stu. He pulled a water bottle from his bag. Nick noticed that his face was redder than usual from exertion, he could practically hear the blood pounding under his friend's skin. As Stu drank, he watched a single bead of sweat glisten down his neck, and the twitch of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. Of course, he only noticed these things because he was a vampire, and vampires are hyper aware of all sorts of little details like that. They both sat comfortably in silence for a moment, their breath making little clouds in the chill air as the sweat cooled on their skin.

Nick remembered the first time his older sister, Dana, introduced him to Stu, and they had talked about sports a bit, for lack of a better subject. Stu had played a lot of tennis in school and had wanted to get back into it. He joked that he might have gained a kilo or two recently at his rather sedentary desk job, though Nick thought he looked like he was in decent shape. Even after Dana and him had broken up, which really wasn't much longer after then, they had continued hanging out. He was always just really easy to get along with, Nick mused.

He knew it wasn't any of his business, but he couldn't hep but feel a little curious about why they split up, but he certainly wasn't going to ask Stu that, not now. He thought about it objectively; Stu had a good job, was very bright, especially about computers and things, and was even pretty athletic. Plus he was a genuinely nice guy, and a really good listener. Didn't women really go for that sort of thing? 

It was hard to picture Stu arguing with her, or anybody really. Well, maybe except for the time he stabbed that fugly vampire guy at the masquerade. Nick had to admit he thought that was pretty fucking bad ass. He hadn't had a chance to tell Stu that though, he wasn't sure if bringing up the events of that night might trigger some bad memories or something from his attack. Nick decided that if he was a chick he'd have gone out with Stu. Dana was totally daft. He blinked, suddenly realizing Stu was talking to him.

"It's still not that late," Stu said softly, looking at his watch, "Did you wanna hang out at my place for a bit, watch a movie or something. Haven't done that in a while. I'll make sure to get you back before morning, of course."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

They walked to Stu's car, it would only be a brief drive to his flat. He enjoyed observing the Wellington nightlife through the windows, though the streets weren't as crowded as they would be on the weekend. Something about driving at night, passing rhythmically under the streetlights or the gentle hum of the motor, always put him right to sleep as a kid. He leaned back on the leather head rest, Stu's blurry profile was just at the edge of his vision. For the first time in many months, Nick felt calm and content.

**Author's Note:**

> After watching the film a second time I really felt like writing something from Nick's POV. Plus, I couldn't resist adding bit of Nick/Stu. Blame my soft spot for potential vampire/werewolf pairings. I tried my best, but any "NZ-picking" in regards to dialogue would be welcome. Not sure if this calls for a second chapter or not...


End file.
